Neville racism claim as Blues ban four fans
GARY NEVILLE last night claimed white players are given an easier ride than black players by the media when they make it into the England squad. Neville said: ‘I think over the last few days I’ve heard people mention “Well, yeah, Gazza got stick and David Beckham got stick and Wayne Rooney got stick” and I lived closely to two of those lads in terms of witnessing it. ‘It was horrific the stick, the vilification they got when it was bad or when they made mistakes. But, you know, when it was good for them they were hero-worshipped. When it’s good for Ashley Cole or Raheem Sterling they can’t get the hero worship. ‘Even when you look back at my time with England when Rickie Lambert scored that goal or when Jamie Vardy came into the team. “Oh, he’s one of ours”. ‘It wasn’t like that when Danny Welbeck came into the squad or say when Marcus Rashford came into the squad.’ Reflecting on the alleged racist abuse against Raheem Sterling which led to Chelsea banning four supporters yesterday, Neville said: ‘Raheem came to see me one-on-one during Euro 2016. ‘Pre-tournament, he was getting so much stick, we were aware of that. Fans were onto him, the media was onto him. Asking a lot of questions about him. It was so vicious, he felt so targeted, he didn’t know what to do about it. It then continued into the tournament, into the stadiums. ‘I saw someone that has a great mentality and is tough but is also vulnerable in terms of how does he deal with it, how does he cope with it, how does he come out of it? Really, as a coach, reflecting on it, I didn’t really know how to deal with it. I went into what would be protective mode. ‘“Raheem, you’re a great player, we love you to bits” which, to be fair, we did. ‘Reflecting now, maybe we brushed it aside a little bit. It’s happened to players before you but really, deep down, understanding that there was a tonal difference to the attacks that he was getting compared to others. ‘In that tournament Harry Kane, who is the blue-eyed boy of English football, was having a difficult time and it was portrayed because he was on corners. ‘Raheem was having a difficult time and the language used towards him was difficult. ‘The abuse that he received, particularly in the media, beyond that tournament and the language that was used against him . . . ‘I started to think about whether it happened to anybody while I was playing with England and the lad I used to sit next to in changing rooms for 10 years — Ashley Cole. ‘Out of the golden generation he was the only one I’d say was world class in his position. He’s had to escape the country. He’s almost like a football refugee, seeking asylum to get away from the way in which he’s been treated. ‘The evidence is actually quite heavy when you look at the appreciation of what would be the black players versus the white players who play for England. ‘I’m part of the problem because I’ve witnessed this and I’ve sat there and been in changing rooms and I’ve sat there with coaches and I’ve seen a lot of this. ‘It has changed a lot in the last 40 years, don’t get me wrong, but nowhere near far enough.’